Carnival Freedom Eastern review

[skittl1321]

I know there are a few threads with reviews of this cruise already, but I kept a long journal during the cruise and am now posting it day by on my blog. I love reading other people's reviews here, so I thought I would post it here too. I'd be glad to answer any questions about the write ups over here, rather than on my blog if you prefer to ask anything in this thread. (I'm not trying to direct traffic to my blog- I don't get any revenue, merely I don't know how to do pictures here!)

 

Main blog (if you don't mind reading backwards... but I'm still just at the beginning of the trip) http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/

 

Day -2: The Travel Day from Hell http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-december-30th.html

 

Day -1: Hampton Inn Plantation was the right choice! http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-december-31st.html

 

Day 1 (yeah, I skipped zero): Embarkation Day http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-1-embarkation.html

 

The gist of day 1:

-Embarkation had a lot of lines, but it was a breeze.

-The hint to go to fish and chips is a fantastic one.

-The layout of the Freedom is a pain.

-Martini tasting is a decent deal and some yummy drinks (if you like martini's)

-The Posh dining room vibrates like crazy, and the dinner was SLOW...

-Indian Dinner on the first night is the best thing to eat the entire cruise

-Welcome aboard show was okay, but the guests were hysterical (we had an older woman who said she was a bomb maker before she retired. During the required dancing she just made her own dance up...)

 

Day 2: Sea Day

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-2-sea-day.html

 

The gist of day 2:

-I knew I wasn't a Sea Day person, but this one seemed really boring- very few activities and everything seemed to be at the same time, or at the casino bar.

-I like to nap and took great advantage of that!

-Don't believe you won't feel any movement on a big ship, even with calm looking seas (from Lido, the movement was more evident from our Riveria deck cabin) the ship moved a TON. For me this was a plus, for everyone else, a minus. (We don't recall feeling anything on Spirit except one day with high sees)

-Our cabin is LOUD and creeky, but overall I don't really feel like I miss the balcony at all (we had one last time). Call me a cheapskate, but a window will due!

-Cruise entertainment staff is fantastic and we enjoyed all the run ins (trivia) with them.

-Scones at tea time are amazing

-When we did go up to the Lido deck we always found plenty of chairs without problem, even in Serenity (but clamshells were taken). In front of the big screen there weren't as many, but if you went out of the way, there seemed to be plenty not "hogged"

-Elegant night seemed just as dressy as our last "formal" night.

-I love towel animals and chocolate on my bed!

[skittl1321]

Today's post: http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-3-sea-day-san.html

 

The gist: Even though it wasn't an official Sea Day, there was WAY more to do today. We were trivia fools! And won a ship on a stick! The Lido deck was crowded, but there were chairs (just not more than one together...) However, it's so windy up there I'm not sure how people hang out.

 

For dinner we just did room service, and the Chicken Fajita wrap became my favorite. I ate it all week long!

 

The bioluminscent bay tour was absolutely amazing and worth every penny Carnival charges (and it's a lot of pennies...) Completely beyond words, and sadly almost impossible to photograph.

 

This was one of the best days on the boat!

[skittl1321]

St Thomas recap is up:

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-4-st-thomas.html

 

The gist:

-St. Thomas is beautiful, even when overcast.

-Paradise Point Skyride is a bit overpriced, but a very pretty view. There is a decent (optional) hike at the top- flip flops are not a great idea, but it's doable. The excursion says there are "a few" stairs, but we found that the "mandatory" stairs were actually more like "a lot" and even more if you go for the optional ones. Go early, it got crowded (we had 3 ships at Havensight, and saw 2 others)

-Secret Harbor was a gorgeous beach, narrow, but really nice sand. The water was crystal clear and calm, but chilly for me. DH says snorkeling was amazing there.

-Room service may be my favorite thing about the cruise

-Shows before dinner make me happy!

-Dinner was still painfully slow, but I took my watch off and was much happier

-First charge on my sign and sail card: a virgin daquiri. I wasn't going to charge anything, but I loved our bar waitress so much I had to. (Total charges for the week: 2 virgin daquiris. Darn you Dunja. I could have gotten out with $0!)

 

Also, something random I was thinking about that no one says. Something I really appreciate on a cruise is that there is always hot water and the water pressure is constant. I can't say that about my own house and we only have 2 people here to steal all the water.

 

Also- not a review post, but if you are into neat photography tricks, this is a fun one.

Also a cool picture of the Dream. (Well assuming you aren't an Aggie like I am, but DH is a longhorn...)

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/fun-with-lights.html

[skittl1321]

Antigua is up!

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-5-antigua.html

 

This was the absolute best day of the cruise!

We did Adventure Antigua's Eco Tour and it was amazing. Hell's Gate was the absolute highlight for me, but Antigua in general is just gorgeous- it is like being in a post card.

 

On the ship, tonight was the Jump, Jive, and Wail show. I have to say, I like for the shows to be before dinner. I'm just too exhausted at night. Vacationing is hard work!

[Dallen*]

Antigua is up!

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-5-antigua.html

 

This was the absolute best day of the cruise!

We did Adventure Antigua's Eco Tour and it was amazing. Hell's Gate was the absolute highlight for me, but Antigua in general is just gorgeous- it is like being in a post card.

 

On the ship, tonight was the Jump, Jive, and Wail show. I have to say, I like for the shows to be before dinner. I'm just too exhausted at night. Vacationing is hard work!

 

 

First off ... nice review! :)

 

I agree about Antigua being the best day of the cruise and so very beautiful. We did the Xtreme tour and had an absolute blast. It did get a little rough while out on the Atlantic, but not bad at all. I highly recommend this tour as we made 5 great stops and did a complete 360 around the entire island.

 

Looking forward to your BVI next ...

[skittl1321]

Oops, it took me awhile to write the review for Tortola...

 

It is up now:http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-january-6-tortola.html

 

Recap:

Cane Garden Bay was GORGEOUS. My favorite of our two beach days, I'd go again if I can't get to the Baths on that trip.

If you want your drinks to have lots of alcohol, this is the place to get them. We found the painkillers to be almost undrinkable due to the rum :( (But everyone else on the beach seemed to enjoy them just fine!)

 

Mongolian on the freedom was a disappointment to me, too long of a wait for mediocre food.

 

Past Guest party was an excellent perk. The appetizers were lovely, the drinks free flowing and quick.

[skittl1321]

This is taking me longer than I anticipated... I keep putting off writing the posts!

 

Second Sea Day:

http://skittl1321.blogspot.com/2011/01/cruise-round-up-jan-7-fun-day-at-sea.html

 

Filled with trivia! And knitting. And dance class, and towel folding. It was a very good day.

[cruiser fanatic]

any Funtimes?

[mdrobtx]

Well assuming you aren't an Aggie like I am

 

NOW I understand the whole review.:eek: